U.S. lawmakers launch investigation into Wal-Mart bribery scandal

New York -- Two U.S. lawmakers are launching an investigation into allegations of bribery at Wal-Mart Stores’ Mexican affiliate. Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Representative Henry Waxman, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent a letter to Michael Duke, Wal-Mart CEO, requesting an in-person meeting with company officials.

The lawmakers also said they are contacting former Wal-Mart executives who may have documents or information relevant to a congressional investigation.

In other developments, Wal-Mart de Mexico, or Walmex, battling bribery accusations, said in a statement on Monday it does not believe the allegations will hurt its business.

These developments follow Wal-Mart’s confirmation that it is investigating its operations in Mexico for possible violations of the U.S. law that prohibits bribery overseas. The acknowledgement came in response to a lengthy article by The New York Times on Saturday that alleged the giant discounter first learned of allegations of "widespread bribery" by its workers in the country in 2005 and that top executives subsequently covered them up.

In a report by Reuters, legal and retail experts said that the allegations, if proven true, could badly impact Wal-Mart and its management for years, resulting in steep financial penalties paid to U.S. authorities and the departure of some key executives.

The Times story alleged that Wal-Mart had found evidence of more than $24 million in illicit payments to Mexican officials to help obtain permits for new stores to help speed up openings in that country. Top Wal-Mart officials in the United States learned of the bribery allegations, the Times reported, but the company never reported the matter to U.S. or Mexican authorities.

"If these allegations are true, it is not a reflection of who we are or what we stand for," Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar said in a prepared statement. "We are deeply concerned about these allegations and are working aggressively to determine what happened."

According to the Times, current Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke and former CEO Lee Scott, who still sits on the chain’s board, were among senior executives allegedly aware of the situation.

Wal-Mart said it has met voluntarily with the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission to discuss the case.

The expansion of Wal-Mart de Mexico, mainly in the last decade, left the world’s largest retailer with about 20% of its stores in Mexico.

Comments

Apr 24, 2012 - 8:43 AM

R Mader says

What will the government and unions try next to destroy the world's number one retailer? Wal-Mart has had a tremendous positive impact on consumer prices, yet they constantly are attacked for work rules, real estate location and being non-union.
Most mall construction projects in past 25 years have openned on time thanks to "incentive" payments to unions and construction companies.
Let's get the facts before convicting in the press. Remember the Duke Lacross Team.

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